देउळामधें जगन्नायेक । आणी देवळावरी बैसला काक । परी तो देवाहुन अधिक । म्हणों नये कीं ॥ १ ॥

In the temple resides the Lord of the world, and a crow may perch on top of the temple. But that does not make the crow greater than God.

सभा बैसली राजद्वारीं । आणी मर्कट गेलें स्तंभावरी । परी तें सभेहून श्रेष्ठ चतुरीं । कैसे मानावें ॥ २ ॥

A learned assembly may be seated at the king's court, while a monkey climbs onto a pillar above them. But should wise people therefore consider the monkey greater than the assembly?

ब्रह्मण स्नान करून गेले । आणी बक तैसेचि बैसले । परी ते ब्रह्मणपरीस भले । कैसे मानावे ॥ ३ ॥

Brahmins bathe and go about their duties, and a crane too stands just as still in the water. But how can one call the crane superior to the Brahmin for that?

ब्रह्मणामधें कोणी नेमस्त । कोणी जाले अव्यावेस्त । आणी स्वान सदा ध्यानस्त । परी तें उत्तम नव्हे ॥ ४ ॥

Among Brahmins too, some are disciplined and some are not; and a dog may sit perfectly still, looking as if lost in meditation. But mere stillness like that is not true excellence.

ब्राह्मण लक्षमुद्रा नेणें । मार्जर लक्षविषईं शाहाणें । परी ब्रह्मणापरीस विशेष कोणें । म्हणावें तयासी ॥ ५ ॥

A Brahmin may not know how to fix his gaze steadily, while a cat is quite skilled at fixing its stare on one spot. But who would call the cat superior to the Brahmin for that?

ब्रह्मण पाहे भेदाभेद । मक्षिका सर्वांस अभेद । परी तीस जाला ज्ञानबोध । हें तों न घडे कीं ॥ ६ ॥

A Brahmin discerns differences and acts accordingly, while a fly treats everything alike, making no distinctions at all. But that does not mean the fly has thereby attained true knowledge.

उंच वस्त्रें नीच ल्याला । आणी समर्थ उघडाच बैसला । परी तो आहे परिक्षिला । परीक्षवंतीं ॥ ७ ॥

A lowly person may dress in fine clothes, while a truly great man sits plainly, even unclothed. But those who can truly judge people recognize his real worth regardless.

बाह्याकार केला अधिक । परी तो अवघा लोकिक । येथें पाहिजे मुख्य येक । अंतरनिष्ठा ॥ ८ ॥

One may put up an elaborate outward show, but that is merely for the world to see. What truly matters here is one thing alone - inner conviction and steadfastness.

लोकिक बरा संपादिला । परी अंतरीं सावध नाहीं जाला । मुख्य देवास चुकला । तो आत्मघातकी ॥ ९ ॥

One may earn a fine reputation in the world, yet if his heart has not truly awakened within, he has missed God himself - and such a person only brings ruin upon his own self.

देवास भजतां देवलोक । पित्रांस भजतां पित्रलोक । भूतांस भजतां भूतलोक । पाविजेतो ॥ १० ॥

Worship the gods, and you attain the world of the gods; worship the ancestors, and you attain the world of the ancestors; worship spirits, and you attain the world of spirits.

जेणें जयास भजावें । तेणें त्या लोकासी जावें । निर्गुणीं भजतां व्हावें । निर्गुणचि स्वयें ॥ ११ ॥

Whatever one worships, one attains that very world. But whoever worships the attributeless Absolute becomes the attributeless Absolute itself.

निर्गुणाचें कैसें भजन । निर्गुणीं असावें अनन्य । अनन्य होतां होईजे धन्य । निश्चयेंसीं ॥ १२ ॥

How is the attributeless worshipped? By remaining wholly one with it, without a trace of separateness. Only by becoming thus undivided does a person truly become fulfilled.

सकळ केलियाचें सार्थक । देव वोळखावा येक । आपण कोण हा विवेक । पाहिला पाहिजे ॥ १३ ॥

The true fruit of all one's spiritual effort is just this: to recognize the one God, and to discover who one truly is.

देव पाहातां निराकार । आपला तो माईक विचार । सोहं आत्मा हा निर्धार । बाणोन गेला ॥ १४ ॥

Looking deeply, God is formless, and the sense of being a separate self is only an illusion. The firm conviction, "I am that very Self," becomes deeply rooted within.

आतां अनुमान तो काई । वस्तु आहे वस्तुचा ठाईं । देहभाव कांहींच नाहीं । धांडोळितां ॥ १५ ॥

Then what room is left for doubt? The ultimate Reality exists as itself. When one searches carefully, the very sense of being a body is found not to exist at all.

सिद्धास आणी साधन । हा तों अवघाच अनुमान । मुक्तास आणी बंधन । आडळेना ॥ १६ ॥

To speak of practice for one who is already accomplished is merely a manner of speaking; and for one who is liberated, no bondage can be found at all.

साधनें जें कांहीं साधावें । तें तों आपणचि स्वभावें । आतां साधकाच्या नावें । सुन्याकार ॥ १७ ॥

Whatever is to be gained through practice is, in truth, one's own very nature. So the separate identity of "the seeker" itself dissolves into nothingness.

कुल्लाळ पावला राजपदवी । आतां रासभें कासया राखावी । कुल्लाळपणाची उठाठेवी । कासया पाहिजे ॥ १८ ॥

If a potter becomes king, why should he still go on tending donkeys? Why should he bother with the business of being a potter any longer?

तैसा अवघा वृत्तीभाव । नाना साधनांचा उपाव । साध्य जालियां कैंचा ठाव । साधनांसी ॥ १९ ॥

In the same way, all the mind's striving and the effort behind the many spiritual practices exist only until the goal is reached - once it is attained, there is no place left for the means.

साधनें काये साधावें । नेमें काये फळ घ्यावें । आपण वस्तु भरंगळावें । कासयासी ॥ २० ॥

What is there left to achieve through practice now? What fruit remains to be gained through vows and rules? When one is oneself the ultimate Reality, why should one keep wandering about aimlessly?

देह तरी पांचा भूतांचा । जीव तरी अंश ब्रह्मींचा । परमात्मा तरी अनन्याचा । ठाव पाहा ॥ २१ ॥

The body is made of the five elements; the individual soul is but a portion of Brahman; and the Supreme Self alone stands without a second - see this clearly.

उगेंचि पाहातां मीपण दिसे । शोध घेतां कांहींच नसे । तत्वें तत्व निरसे । पुढें निखळ आत्मा ॥ २२ ॥

On the surface, the sense of "I" seems real, but when examined closely, nothing is found in it. Element after element falls away, and what remains at the end is the pure Self alone.

आत्मा आहे आत्मपणें । जीव आहे जीवपणें । माया आहे मायापणें । विस्तारली ॥ २३ ॥

The Self exists as the Self, the individual soul exists as the soul, and Maya exists spread out in its own form as Maya - each in its own place.

ऐसें अवघेंचि आहे । आणी आपण हि कोणीयेक आहे । हें सकळ शोधून पाहे । तोचि ज्ञानी ॥ २४ ॥

All of this exists in this way, and we too are some part of it. The one who searches all of this out and examines it thoroughly - he alone is the true knower.

शोधूं जाणें सकळांसी। परी पाहों नेणे आपणासी । ऐक ज्ञानी येकदेसी । वृत्तिरूपें ॥ २५ ॥

One may know how to inquire into everything else, yet not know how to look at oneself - such a "knower" remains only partial, stuck at the level of the mind.

तें वृत्तिरूप जरी पाहिलें । तरी मग कांहींच नाहीं राहिलें । प्रकृतिनिरासें अवघेंचि गेलें । विकारवंत ॥ २६ ॥

But if that very mind, that very mental activity, is examined closely, then nothing at all remains. Once Prakriti (nature) is negated, everything subject to change disappears.

उरलें तें निखळ निर्गुण । विवंचितां तेंचि आपण । ऐसी हे परमार्थाची खूण । अगाध आहे ॥ २७ ॥

What remains then is the pure, attributeless Reality; and on reflection, that itself is who we are. This mark of true spiritual realization is profoundly deep.

फळ येक आपण येक । ऐसा नाहीं हा विवेक । फ्ळाचें फळ कोणीयेक । स्वयेंचि होईजे ॥ २८ ॥

Here there is no distinction between the fruit and oneself. Rather, one oneself becomes the very fruit of that fruit.

रंक होता राजा जाला । वरें पाहातां प्रत्यय आला । रंकपणाचा गल्बला । रंकीं करावा ॥ २९ ॥

A beggar becomes a king; when one truly verifies it, one is convinced this has really happened. Then all the fuss over being a beggar is left behind along with the state of beggary itself.

वेद शास्त्रें पुराणें । नाना साधनें निरूपणें । सिद्ध साधु ज्याकारणें । नाना सायास करिती ॥ ३० ॥

The Vedas, scriptures, Puranas, the many spiritual practices and their teachings, and all the great efforts that the accomplished and the seekers undertake - all of it is for the sake of that one thing alone.

तें ब्रह्मरूप आपणचि आंगें । सारासारविचारप्रसंगें । करणें न करणें वाउगें । कांहींच नाहीं ॥ ३१ ॥

One realizes, through discerning the essential from the non-essential, that one is oneself that very Brahman. Then both doing and not-doing become equally pointless - nothing remains beyond that.

रंक राजआज्ञासि भ्यालें । तेंचि पुढें राजा जालें । मग तें भयेचि उडालें । रंकपणासरिसें ॥ ३२ ॥

The beggar used to fear the king's command; later, that same beggar became the king himself. Then that fear too vanished along with the state of beggary.

वेदें वेदाज्ञेनें चालावें सच्च्हास्त्रें शास्त्र अभ्यासावें । तीर्थें तीर्थास जावें । कोण्या प्रकारें ॥ ३३ ॥

The Veda should follow the Veda's own command, true scripture should study scripture itself, a place of pilgrimage should make pilgrimage to a place of pilgrimage - in what way could this even happen?

अमृतें सेवावें अमृत । अनंतें पाहावा अनंत । भगवंतें लक्षावा भगवंत । कोणा प्रकारें ॥ ३४ ॥

Nectar should partake of nectar, the infinite should behold the infinite, God should perceive God - in what way could this even happen?

संत असंत त्यागावे । निर्गुणें निर्गुणासी भंगावें । स्वरूपें स्वरूपीं रंगावें । कोण्या प्रकारें ॥ ३५ ॥

The real should let go of the unreal, the attributeless should merge into the attributeless, one's true nature should become absorbed in that very nature - in what way could this even happen?

अंजनें ल्यावें अंजन । धनें साधावें धन । निरंजनें निरंजन । कैसें अनुभवावें ॥ ३६ ॥

Collyrium applies collyrium to itself, wealth earns more wealth - but how, in the same way, is the stainless, pure Reality to experience that very stainless Reality?

साध्य करावें साधनासी । ध्येयें धरावें ध्यानासी । उन्मनें आवरावें मनासी । कोण्या प्रकारें ॥ ३७ ॥

The goal itself should accomplish the means, the object of meditation itself should hold the meditation, and the state beyond mind should restrain the mind - in what way could this even happen?